2005 (P) West Virginia State Quarter - PC-25c-2005P-01R(WV) Pre-Cud

Description

In the reverse pre-cud census for the 2005 Philadelphia West Virginia State Quarter, PC-25c-2005P-01R(WV) was cataloged by the Cuds on Coins attribution service and documents rim-connected die cracking before any metal displacement occurs. The West Virginia quarter, released as part of the 50 State Quarters Program that captivated a generation of new collectors between 1999 and 2008, features John Mercanti's rendering of the New River Gorge Bridge — one of the longest steel arch bridges in the world — set against a backdrop of Appalachian mountains. Philadelphia's production of approximately 365.4 million West Virginia quarters ensured significant die consumption, and the pre-cud stage captured by this variety records a die after a rim-to-rim crack had formed, with the section it enclosed still part of the die and unmoved under continued striking. Pre-cuds transfer to struck coins as fine raised lines that leave the rim and return to it, following the path of the die crack through whatever design elements happen to lie in its trajectory. Unlike full cuds or retained cuds, which create raised masses or plateaus of metal, pre-cuds can be subtle enough to escape casual inspection — their detection often requires methodical examination of the rim periphery under 10x or greater magnification with raking light angled to cast shadows along the raised crack trace. Collectors interested in die progression studies may seek both this pre-cud and the later-stage PC-25c-2005P-02R(WV) to compare crack development on related but distinct dies.

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